Citation: Poiret, Encycl. Suppl. 4:620 (1816).

Synonymy: Trichinium macrocephalum R. Br., Prod. Fl. Nov. Holl. 415 (1810); T. angustifolium and T. pachocephalum Moq. in A. DC., Prod. 13, 2:293, 294 (1849); P. pachocephalus (Moq.)F. Muell., Fragm. Phyt. Aust. 6:228 (1868).

Common name: Large) green pussytail, feather heads, square-headed fox tail.

Description:
Annual or perennial with a long woody tap root; stems semi-erect, up to 0.8 rarely 1.3 m tall, single or several-tufted, simple or occasionally branching, pubescence of contorted hairs soon restricted to young shoots from leaf axils; leaves linear to narrow-lanceolate, often sinuate, lower ones to 16 X 1.5 cm, petiolate, usually tufted at the ground, upper ones shorter, subsessile, all glabrescent.

Spikes solitary, very variable in shape and colour, hemispherical (to 9 cm diam.) or conical to cylindrical (to 27 x 3.5-6 cm when fully opened), subdensely flowered, sweetly scented when fresh; bract (to 20 mm long) and shorter bracteoles smooth, light-amber; the sometimes very narrow perianth to 45 X 2.5 mm, with a short tube (to 1 mm), greenish or greenish-cream, rarely silvery-white, the glabrous tips usually pink fading to flavescent or stramineous, perianth-segments with dorsal hairs 5-8 mm long but inconspicuous, inner segments with some long marginal hairs bent against the inner face; stamens equal or unequal, 1.2-3.5 mm long, shorter ones mostly sterile, low staminal cup with interspersed hairs to c. 3 mm long; pistil exceeding the perianth in old flowers; ovary (c. 3 X 2 mm) hirsute or subglabrous; style with some long hairs often on one side, more or less eccentric.

	Ptilotus macrocephalus
Image source: pl. 12right in Jessop J.P. & Toelken H.R. (Ed.) 1986. Flora of South Australia (4th edn).

Published illustration: T.M. Chippendale (1968) Wildflowers of central Australia, p. 24; B. Allwright (1980) Wildflowers of central Australia, p. 41.

Distribution:  S.Aust.: SE.   All mainland States. Conservation status: native Flowering time: all the year round, especially July — Dec.

SA Distribution Map based on current data relating to specimens held in the State Herbarium of South Australia

Biology: No text

Author: Not yet available